London is a city of ambition, aiming to be a global leader in sustainability. Yet, as we approach Global Recycling Day on 18th March, a data-driven reality check is required. Research from recycling experts TerraCycle reveals that London, alongside the West Midlands, holds the title for the UK's 'worst offender' when it comes to wishcycling.

In London, a significant 27% of residents confess to including non-recyclable items in their council bins in the hope they might be recycled - a practice often called wishcycling. While motivated by good intentions, this behaviour creates substantial logistical problems. In a high-density urban environment like London, the contamination from just one bin can result in the rejection of an entire communal collection, leading to it being diverted to landfill or incinerated, instead of being processed for recycling.

What should Londoners do? Here are three simple to implement tips to help:

1. Don't Guess, Do Your Research: A study published by Wrap found a startling 'Confidence Gap': while 76% of us want to recycle more, only 9% of us feel "very confident" about our recycling choices.  If you aren't sure, don't bin it. Look on your council's recycling section of its website and use tools like RecycleNow to find your specific borough's rules as these vary and also where else you can recycle additional types of items such as batteries, small electricals, lightbulbs and paint.
2. Don't Fail At the Finish Line: When recycling, Londoners need to ensure they scrape all leftover food out of jars first and place it in the food bin. As for pizza boxes, if they are only lightly soiled with grease or food residue, they can be recycled. Remember that the box must be dry, and the top can be torn off and recycled separately if necessary!
3. Hack the 'Unrecyclables': With 62% of us frustrated by the limited items local councils accept - from coffee pods, to snack and crisp packets - try and find your nearest drop-off point in London for those tricky to recycle items: 

• Free Recycling Programmes: London is home to hundreds of community-run drop-off points. From chocolate wrapper collection boxes in Mayfair to snack wrapper collections in Angel, these points help to recycle the 'unrecyclable' waste the council won't recycle kerbside.
• Zero Waste Bags: For Londoners who might live in apartments with limited bin space, these bags allow you to collect difficult-to-recycle items from plastic toys, to medicine blister packs, to coffee pods and beauty products and packaging (and more) - in one place for specialist recycling, ensuring nothing ends up in the building's communal recycling bin or general bin!

1. Hold the High Street Accountable: With 81% of us unaware of the new Simpler Recycling legislation, we challenge Londoners to vote with their wallets and choose a sustainable local coffee shop or salon that is sustainable. Pick one that uses a dedicated recycling solution like CafeCycle or SalonCycle. If they don't then tell them you as a customer ask that they make the change.

For more information on recycling see www.terracycle.co.uk.